Going through life with dark skin can be somewhat "challenging" at times. Add long hair, tattoos and earrings and it can get even more "challenging."
Back in the day, I've been told that I look like a "hood."

I've always made sure that I followed the law when it came to such things as the legality of my pocket knife.
I've been stopped, searched and handcuffed under suspicion of being a drug trafficker and released because I was extremely cooperative and completely legal.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that when we moved to West Virginia, I checked the concealed carry laws and pocket knife restrictions.
Back then you could own a switchblade, assisted opening knife or a gravity knife of any length but could only legally conceal carry a knife with a blade 3.5 inches or under that wasn't a switchblade, assisted opening knife or a gravity knife.

Today, I picked up my renewed West Virginia concealed carry permit and while at the Sheriffs office, I asked about any pocket knife restrictions and was told that in West Virginia, there are no restrictions and you can carry any kind of knife that you can fit in your pocket.

Last time I was at a gun and knife show, I picket up a cool little switchblade.


I'm planning on going to another gun and knife show later this month and I may pick up the biggest switchblade that I can fit in my pocket.
Just because I can.

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Keep on Chooglin'

Never understood the attraction but whatever turns you on .

Florida is a little weird in the knife aspect. While "firearms" fall under state "preemption" laws, knives do not. So every municipality can write its own "knife laws." Even the state's CWFL--Concealed Weapon & Firearms License--does not override local knife laws. The "case-law" so far covers a 3-1/2-inch blade as the "common pocketknife" limitation. While nothing in state law excludes a switchblade, some municipalities may. It's a tangled web yet to be unwoven.

People act weird about knives. Place I used to work at had a blade length limit of 3.5" on knives, pocket or not. I'm thinking it was to keep "weapons" out. The stupid thing was, you could go to the tool vending machine and get a 4.5" paring type knife.

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The best I can with what I got

I have carried a knife for at least 40 years. My current knife is a Milwaukee construction knife. You need a good knife to strip outdoor electrical burial cable. I just measured the blade and it's only 2.5" so I guess I'm safe.

Never knew about a 3.5" restriction in certain areas.

I never did either, until I started carrying one. I can deploy the knife, accomplish the task, and put it away, before I could even get a conventional knife open. It's like the difference between a screwdriver and a cordless driver.

And, I can do it with one hand.

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The best I can with what I got

Exactly, because there's always something else that needs holding on too.

When I was in LE, I was always asked, “…what is the largest pocket knife I can carry…”

My answer was “…it depends on how big your pockets are…”. If all you were doing was carrying it, who cares, you could have a switch sword. But, use a 1” blade to carve on someone and not only would you have my undivided attention, you would be talking to me over my gunsights.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

People seem to forget how deadly knives can be. Never leave home w/o one.

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No baby we aint

Colorado has a restriction of 3.5" on any bladed tool carried concealed as in a pocket. In fact, it is not even considered a knife if under that length. Exposed there is no length limit IIRC.

have had one in my pocket since Cub Scouts.. father did, grandfather did, all my uncle's too... feel "odd" when I don't have one... it's a tool... the nuns in grade school would have had a heart attack had they known.. automatics are fun, but high quality costs big money.

I sorta collect switchblades/automatics, Iowa's CC permit states Weapons, so I'm good to carry them and I do. Blade length, up to 5 inches.

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Super Snooper

As when I was in the Boy Scouts, Be Prepared!
Always have a knife on me from a Buck 550 to a Buick 1110.
Plus anything I may need when hunting,`

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I have carried one since I was a kid. Helped me out many times and one is in my pocket now.

Sew a canvas machete sheath to your jeans and call it a pocket.

In my part of the world some metropolitan areas have 3" maximum blade lengths. Across the river assisted opening knives are legal, not here.

I prefer to check the code myself rather than rely on someone else's recollection.

Edit: Irony alert.
I just now checked the code for the cities that I thought had a 3" limit.
One was overturned and the other disappeared or was overturned.

I like autos and own a few. Double action OTFs are really handy, though illegal to carry in Warshington. Funny, I can carry a flipper that I can open as fast....ah well, bureaucracy at it's finest.

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Even older, even crankier....

Regarding the picture of Snubbyfan up there in post #1, if you look like Link Wray, you should be allowed to carry any kind of switchblade you want! Now I have to blast “Rumble” later this morning! I’ll be a good neighbor and at least wait until 06:00!

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Waiting For The Sun.

Be very careful about whatever "Legal advice" you are given by any Law Enforcement Officer! While I was still "on the job" numerous times I had people tell me "But Officer so-and-so told me"......, and that information was completely incorrect legally.

Check the law yourself, it is easy to do, but time consuming, but can be done on-line for any state. Be careful though, the state legislature may change any laws during any annual session, so what was legal may not be next year, or vice-versa.

What so-and-so told you has no legal standing and gives you no defense if you get in trouble because of his/her advice.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

I owned a high quality, famous brand switchblade a while back - it was a gift from a friend and legal to own. After having it open up twice in my pocket, cutting up my leg and hand when I went to take it out, I got rid of it. Both times the safety had broken! While the manufacturer did repair it, after the second time getting cut up, I lost interest in it.

My EDC (for 4 years now) is a Spyderco Delica K390 steel which opens up just like any other Spyderco (thumb hole) and after some practice with it, it deploys pretty darn fast! I don't feel the need for an auto opening knife and I'd never ever carry one again.

Maybe I am foolish in this regard but I view my EDC pocket knife as a tool, not a weapon. My weapon is my Sig P365 and at 71 (in a few weeks) I do not want to get lose enough to effectively use a knife for self defense. Yes, as a last resort of course the knife can be used as a weapon however I have trained quite a bit with SD firearms and almost zero with a pocket knife as a SD weapon. For those highly trained with a knife for SD it is a different story.

I have carried a pocket knife of some sort since I was in grade school. I never ever viewed it as a "weapon" but only as a cutting tool. That is just how I was brought up. Other than on an airplane or cruise ship my pocket always has a razor sharp knife in it. I even got my wife to carry a very small one in her purse (along with a very small flashlight).

I have not concerned myself on how large a knife I could carry after realizing many years ago (as a bird hunter) that large, heavy cumbersome knives are more difficult to use, harder to carry and just not a handy knife to carry.

Most of my pocket knives have had less than 3 1/4" blades. For most of my life a 2 3/4", 2 1/4" and 1 1/4" three blade traditional style "Stockman" pocket knife has been carried. Certainly not a fast knife to open! My current EDC Spyderco has a single 2 7/8" blade I believe. I also EDC a SAK "keychain model" - the smallest version SAK made, I believe. I carry that one for the scissors, tweezer, nail file and screwdriver tip on the nail file. Can't remember actually ever using the puny knife in it. The screwdriver tip is the perfect size for adjusting S&W rear sights.

For those who carry switchblades, PLEASE be careful with them!

As a Deer hunter for many years I and many others carried fixed blade hunting knives with blades of around 4" to 6.5" in a belt sheath. Openly or often concealed under hunting clothing. So restrictions on pocket blade length seem a bit silly. But..laws vary from state to state I'm sure. Way back in the late 50s when I was a young teen I remember having a switchblade knife, a piece of cheap junk. Never wanted one since. Many people carry the Buck 110 on their belt in it's black leather sheath. So I guess that's concealed but not in a pocket, confusing. Don't even know what Indiana laws are except switch blades became illegal at some time I believe. But now people can have "assisted opening" knives. Oh well. If I ever need to back up my Glock 42 with a knife to survive I hope I have one of my fixed blade knives with me.

No restrictions here, but I have found I prefer assisted open folders to button locks. Easy and quick to open and no need to operate a safety.

I too had a button lock complete with safety come open in my pocket and as I keep my blades shaving sharp it was a bloody experience that occurred much to close to some very important personal equipment.

When it comes to knives, Michigan laws are a mess. With firearms, the laws are fairly well defined and carry the stipulation that state law is supreme, stopping local laws from interfering. Not so with knives. Generally speaking, if you carry a 3" to 3.5" single edge folder, you will be OK. Because of local laws however, carrying anything else including switchblades or spring loaded out-the-end knives can be ok some places and not in others. State law did have an exception for switchblades for handicapped persons, such as those with only one hand, but I don't know if that is still in effect. Double edge knives are definite no-no. And don't even ask about cane swords and the like.

Like I said, it's a mess!

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I carry a button auto without a safety. This one.
Just a moment...
With it's flat button that is only very slightly proud of the side and the button to the inside when clipped in a pocket, it has NEVER gone off in my pocket. Not once. And if I'm wearing pants, it's in the pocket.

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The best I can with what I got

Sounds great.


Here is a good website that keeps up to date with that stuff if you ever need to check


State Knife Laws | American Knife and Tool Institute

My two takeaways from this thread are, West Virginia once again is awesome. And has anyone ever seen Snubby Fan and Paul Stanley (lead singer KISS) in the same room at the same time ? I didn’t think so.

Rules in the various states can be quite different. The daughter (military haircut, with a group of marines, in San Diego of all places) was kicked out of a Starbucks because "her pocketknife was printing" .

I guess I am different from you fellas. I have never nor never will I allow a law dictate what I put in my pocket. Just a rebel I guess.

Ah, the days when I could carry my knife on a plane...

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Common sense isn't so common.

This. As primarily a duck and small game hunter, a Tinkerer SAK and a pair of game shears is all I ever need. Carry the SAK daily and keep the game shears in the kitchen drawer when not in my blind bag.
A Dexter filet knife for the fish pretty much covers it. The rest of the stuff is wants-and I got a LOT of that But hey, I'm a man.
Like Shotguns and handguns. I could spend the rest of my life with my M2 Benelli in 20 ga, my Bodyguard and my MP9 and be covered. But again-what's the fun in that??

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Forum consigliere

And, as usual, New Mexico's laws in this area are a mess.

The curse of Lew Wallace continues.

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Only a cold warrior

I almost always carry a Boker "Kalisnikov" auto in my pocket, as does my youngest son. My Oldest has a Benchmade flipper because he lives in the Peoples Republic of Minnesota. The Boker K has a recessed button and no safety. I do not spend much time with my hands in my pockets and have never had it open in my pocket. I do not care for the safety feature on an auto so I avoid models with noticeably protruding release buttons like the classic stilleto

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Kind regards, Heinz

Ah, the days when I could carry a gun on a plane and get to board before the cripples and kids.

Like others, I’ve carried a pocket knife since I was a Cub Scout. Use it daily, mostly for opening stuff, but it’s there for whatever I could need a knife for. Never measured the blade, but never saw a need for anything longer than 3 inches. Any bigger, they start getting heavy and or folks get the idea I am happy to see them.

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213th FBINA

Really good advice there, in my opinion. I’ve always been told that (generally speaking) here in Indiana juries, and in effect, the law, may take a dim view of someone carrying and using certain types of knives as a weapon. Whether that is right or wrong based on statute may be irrelevant if the stigma is difficult to overcome.

Carrying switchblades and similar edged weapons appears be a case of what’s legal may not necessarily be a great idea. For me, that’s something to consider…

Michigan has 4 cities with strict knife laws. I believe they are under 3". The rest of the state is more lax.
A few years ago the outgoing AG gave an opinion that some switchblades are legal. Any knife can not have a double edge blade so "stiletto's" are not legal.
I bought a Microtech Ultratech with a 3.35" Tanto blade several years ago and wish I would have done so earlier. I have two of the same knife now.
I send one in about once a year to be sharpened and lubed and carry the other one for the next year.

I never understood the attraction to automatic knives aka switchblades. As an antique pocketknife collector, I have had or still do, some gorgeous vintage autos. But these are just for show. Besides being a collector, I am also a user. I must use my pocketknife, several dozen times a week. Automatic knives are dainty and fragile. Every brand I have had or have observed are weak and fragile. I wouldn't get a month worth of use from one before it was broken and in a scrap heap. The assisted openers like the Kershaw Leek, which is one of my working knives, give just as rapid response and can be counted on for a long life of hard work.

Texas is both simple and complicated. If the blade is under 5-1/2” any knife is legal. But longer blades are location-restricted and cannot be carried in a long list of places. Basically, any knife you can carry in your pocket is legal. If you are hunting, fishing, etc., any knife is legal. I had only one run-in involving a knife. I went to a city council meeting and went through a metal detector. It went off because I was carrying a small pocket knife. They would not let me enter with it. I took it outside and stuck it down in the dirt of a potted plant and retrieved it when I left.

Gibbs Rule 9: Never go anywhere without a knife.

3" Buck in the pocket right now.

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NRA Life

Grandpa had a pocket knife. Dad had a pocket knife. I have carried one since I was old enough to have one.

A few years ago I worked with a middle aged muslum man. I often had to pull out my knife for one task or another. He often saw me using it. One day he commented how useful it was. Since I had another at home I offered to give it to him. He said Ohhh Nooo, "we" can't be seen with such things.

Never ever ever just take the random word of some cop for what the law is. I highly recommend you look up the statute for yourself.

This is just my opinion but an auto opener is just one more moving part to break. Every knife I carry has a thumbstud on it so I can open it one handed But I don't have any auto openers.

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Retired Career Security Guard

I would never consider carrying an Italian style switchblade due to the failure of the safety and the protruding deployment button as some of you have had the bad experience.
This is what I carry, not cheap, but in my opinion well worth it. It is a Benchmade Autocrat DA/OTF, spine fire, 3.71 in blade. I decided on this at the Shepard of the Hills knife store in Branson. I handled many other autos there and this was a natural for me.
I realize this is totally illegal in many places but it is legal for me to carry in Iowa.

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Super Snooper

For the OTF knives the attraction is quite simple. slide a switch and the blade shoots out the front of the knife. Slide the switch back and it shoots back into the knife. Endless entertainment and you look cool when you whip it out at a business lunch to cut your salsbury steak.
I know, I have one.

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Forum consigliere

I think switchblades are cool and have several but I never paid a lot of money for them and most are used around the house as letter and box openers. I do have a Lightning Out The Front automatic in my truck and use it all the time on construction sites and I'm amazed it has held up so well and it was under 30 bucks. I use it to cut cardboard, plastic, wood, zip ties, straps, rope, whatever, and if it breaks I'll probably get another one because it's so handy and fast if you're holding something to deploy it then retract the blade and put it back in the pocket.

I'm not much for carrying a knife, but I admire your justification. The older I get, the more I find it an appropriate response to most questions that ask "Why?"

After checking to see if it is legal I sometimes use a sword cane. They tend to be a bit heavy and are slow to get into action but can do a lot of damage. Other than a need to cut brush they are not much use for anything else.

Here I can and do carry any knife or gun most anywhere. The exceptions are an actual court room or judges chambers, and inside actual school buildings. I can carry a knife in those as long as the blade is less than 4". I also suspect most of the district judges in Montana have their own guns handy. The local school superintendents can grant permission for individuals to carry inside the buildings

We used to have a law that only knife collectors with the permission of their sheriff could own automatics, but our legislators figured that and the need for concealed carry permits were stupid and did away with both at the same time.
Also any law abiding citizens legally allowed to posses firearms were given an exclusion from the federal gun fee zone laws.

45-8-360. Establishment of individual licensure. In consideration that the right to keep and bear arms is protected and reserved to the people in Article II, section 12, of the Montana constitution, a person who has not been convicted of a violent, felony crime and who is lawfully able to own or to possess a firearm under the Montana constitution is considered to be individually licensed and verified by the state of Montana within the meaning of the provisions regarding individual licensure and verification in the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act.

That law was tested and upheld in 2023 by a federal court in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. GABRIEL COWAN METCALF, because Metcalf, who lived directly across the street from a school sometimes "patrolled" the side walk in from of his house with a rifle.

Lightnings are surprisingly reliable. I have one and have used it for pretty much every task around the house. Plus, as Caje said, they're fun to play with. Kind of a grown-ups fidget spinner.

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Even older, even crankier....

Is that an auto opener in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?
3.5 Lansky clipped on my right rear pocket every time I walk out my door. Freebie with a stick sharpener I've carried it ever since I worked the wastewater plant. Like sunglasses and lighters the cheap ones never get lost.